Updated: Who Gets The Number 1 Seed In The East? Heat Or Knicks?

[Guppyfighter]

I think ppl are forgetting the lack of health on the knicks. Out of the top teams in the east, we are the most unhealthy and we are still in 2nd place only 1 game behind a healthy heat team.

We are missing felton, camby, sheed, stat at 50%, and shumpert. If we can just manage to get about 3 of those guys healthy (felton being one of them) then you will see the knicks that u've seen earlier this season.

I say we take #1 seed.

Camby and Sheed are injury prone due to age. That will continue. I will concede Felton being healthy, but Heat should take the first seed easy barring major injuries.

[gotoHcarolina52]

Not that these opinions are especially revelatory (or significant), but in case you're interested:

Fact or Fiction: The Heat will finish with the East's top seed.

Henry Abbott, ESPN.com: Fact. The second half of the season will be neither a coronation nor a cakewalk. Based on schedule and margin of victory, Hollinger's Playoff Odds picks the Heat as the most likely team to win the conference, and that thing can't see that the Heat have, at times, looked like a team that's coasting. Also, research shows past title winners are better at "turning it on."

D.J. Foster, ClipperBlog: Fact. The Knicks look like a bunch of zombies defensively, the Pacers would punt on offense if it was allowed, the Nets need a version of Deron Williams that doesn't exist, the Celtics need a time machine for Paul Pierce, the Hawks need shock therapy to stop Josh Smith from shooting jumpers and Chicago still needs Derrick Rose. The Heat win by default.

Ian Levy, The Two Man Game: Fact. Recent swoon aside, the Heat are still firmly the best team in the East. They've lost twice to New York but boast a more efficient offense, paired with a stingier defense. Chicago is currently predicted to finish eighth, but a healthy Derrick Rose could change that. Avoiding him in the first round should keep the Heat interested.

Rashad Mobley, Truth About It: Fact. The current standings show the Knicks -- who are 2-0 against the Heat this season -- are just one game back of the Heat, and the Danny Granger-less Pacers are just two and a half games back. But there is no way the Heat relinquish home court throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs, which would mean possibly facing the Pacers or the Knicks in a Game 7 on the road.

Tom Sunnergren, Philadunkia: Fact. David Foster Wallace once wrote that the most interesting aspect of a peak-level Pete Sampras tennis match was the way he, in the early rounds of a big tournament, slowly calibrated his game so he exerted the least possible amount of effort that still guaranteed victory. The Heat are calibrating.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/...30114/nba-odds

[LGhost]

Why aren't the Bulls in the title? Seriously though... The core is the same and the bench's act is together. D. Rose returns, a strong winning streak comes and we're at the top again... We'll be the 3rd seed before long (hopefully before Rose returns) and the 3rd seed isn't far off from the 1st. The last bench was great (defensively) but our new bench is gellin' now, dunno how they compare statistically but I'm gonna say they are just as efficient (now).. So, same team with the #1 seed the past 2 years is basically the same team this year. 4-0 against the two teams in the title this year so far... Not far-fetched, and a little disrespectful to count them out (even at the beginning of the year)

[moneygman]

Brooklyn

[fin_frenzy_84]

Brooklyn

[Sportfan]

what is there to facepalm? Their only 3 games out of it...

After tonight the top 8 seeds are 5 games apart. It's ludicrous to make this a Knicks/Heat matchup. Pacers have a better chance at the top seed than the Knicks

[PC]

what is there to facepalm? Their only 3 games out of it...

After tonight the top 8 seeds are 5 games apart. It's ludicrous to make this a Knicks/Heat matchup. Pacers have a better chance at the top seed than the Knicks

How do they have a better chance?

Not saying they don't, genuinely curious as to your reasoning

[oak2455]

Well done

[krisxsong]

I think ppl are forgetting the lack of health on the knicks. Out of the top teams in the east, we are the most unhealthy and we are still in 2nd place only 1 game behind a healthy heat team.

We are missing felton, camby, sheed, stat at 50%, and shumpert. If we can just manage to get about 3 of those guys healthy (felton being one of them) then you will see the knicks that u've seen earlier this season.

I say we take #1 seed.

Felton Camby Sheed difference makers? Stat playing well along side Melo?

Homer alert!

[krisxsong]

How do they have a better chance?

Not saying they don't, genuinely curious as to your reasoning

better chance than who?

[fin_frenzy_84]

what is there to facepalm? Their only 3 games out of it...

After tonight the top 8 seeds are 5 games apart. It's ludicrous to make this a Knicks/Heat matchup. Pacers have a better chance at the top seed than the Knicks

Nets wont get the top seed...

[Rangers&MetsFTW]

Felton Camby Sheed difference makers? Stat playing well along side Melo?

Homer alert!

You're right, a healthy Stat and our starting PG and backup SG make no difference at all. Our two best rebounders after our starting C make no difference in games.

Lack of intelligence alert!

[Rangers&MetsFTW]

what is there to facepalm? Their only 3 games out of it...

After tonight the top 8 seeds are 5 games apart. It's ludicrous to make this a Knicks/Heat matchup. Pacers have a better chance at the top seed than the Knicks

They're*

[cutiepie80]

Still can't believe the Nets are in discussion with the fact their coach was fired.


Throw in that mascot.

[JordansBulls]

Can't believe the Bulls only have 3 more losses than the Heat at this point.